Asthma in the Time of COVID-19

During the last 15 months, all human activity has been profoundly affected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. The great urgency to tackle the enormous scientific challenges created by the pandemic has been reflected in the large number of manuscripts on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that the Journal has published during those months. The Editors are keenly aware, however, that the threat to the health and well-being of the population from other major illnesses has not disappeared and requires the continued attention of the scientific community. On the basis of that understanding, we called for submissions for this special asthma issue, and we received a large number of meritorious papers. We selected eight original contributions and two perspectives that span the whole gamut of asthma research today worldwide, from basic molecular mechanisms to applied clinical investigations, demonstrating the high quality of the research still being done despite all the barriers erected by COVID-19's devastating effects on public health.